Non-GM successes: Index by year

Here's a list, ordered by year, of some of the non-GM successes we have come across. They include allergen-free peanuts, striga-resistant cowpeas, salt-resistant wheat, beta-carotene rich sweet potatoes, virus-resistant cassavas – exactly the kind of developments that GM is typically claimed to be necessary to achieve.

Corn lines resist fungal toxins (May 2017)Corn germplasm lines developed by US Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists are scoring high marks in field trials for resistance to aflatoxin produced by Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus fungi.

Research finds salt tolerance gene in soybean (January 2015)Associate Professor Gilliham said, “We can now use this information to find similar genes in different crops such as wheat and grapevine, to selectively breed for their enhanced salt tolerance.”

Researchers develop non-GM papaya resistant to ringspot virus (July 2010)Despite claims that only GM could deliver this, researchers have developed a papaya resistant to ringspot virus through conventional breeding. The researchers comment, "Application of these results should lead to restoration of the papaya industry in virus-infested regions of the Philippines and worldwide." GM proponents have repeatedly promoted GM ringspot virus-resistant papayas as the only solution to the problem.

Non-GM drought-tolerant pigeon peas released in Kenya (February 2010)Faced with increasingly unreliable rains, farmers in Kenya's eastern district of Mbeere South have started growing drought-tolerant crops to meet their food and subsistence needs instead of the staple maize.

Farmers in rain-deficit Gujarat (India) opt for non-Bt cotton (September 2009)When India is moving toward 100 per cent Bt cotton regime, some winds of change has been seen in Gujarat, the leading cotton producer in the country. Due to the deficient monsoon, farmers have taken to cotton over rain-fed crops like groundnut, to the extent that the area under cotton cultivation has increased by nearly two lakh hectares. Significantly, it’s the conventional (non-Bt) cotton varieties and not the Bt cotton variety that have caught the attention of farmers this season.

UK scientists breed non-GM purple potato (January 2009)They have remained an unchanging staple of the British diet for generations with hardly a nod to more health-conscious consumers. But scientists may now have come up with the perfect chip, which not only tastes good, but could prolong your life.

US scientists breed non-GM scab-resistant apple (January 2009)A new, late-ripening apple named WineCrisp which carries a gene for scab resistance was developed over the past 20 plus years through classical breeding techniques, not genetic engineering. License to propagate trees will be made available to nurseries through the University of Illinois.

US scientists develop pest-resistant chickpea (August 2009)Chickpeas, high in protein, fiber and other nutrients, are important legume crops the world over. But humans aren't the only consumers: the larval stage of the beet armyworm moth likes to eat the crop's leaves. But new lines of resistant chickpeas developed by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists and their collaborators could put the kibosh on this crop-damaging pest's voracious appetite, and potentially save on chemical insecticides used to fight it.

Flood-resistant non-GM rice (February 2009)At the Philippines-based International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), scientists have developed a rice variety with high tolerance to submersion under water for extended periods.

New US non-GM soybean breeding program (November 2009)Growing demand for soybeans that have not been altered genetically has led to a fork in the road for the bean-breeding program at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

Enough non-GM beet seed available in the USA (November, 2009)Farmers still hope to plant Roundup Ready sugar beets next year, but if a federal judge bans their use there might be enough conventional beet seed stockpiled in the United States to get by for a year.

Modern non-GM breeding “has a brilliant future” – Newsweek (June 2009)The world's biggest biotech corporations have deployed the latest in genetic science to pump up yield, ward off crop disease, make food more nutritious and fundamentally reengineer what we plant and eat, and no one is complaining.

High beta-carotene non-GM tomatoes for West Africa (March 2009)The Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center - The World Vegetable Center has released the results of the evaluation of 20 tomato lines for adoption in West Africa. The testing was a part of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation-funded project on Vegetable Breeding and Seed Systems for Poverty Alleviation in sub-Saharan Africa.

IITA releases non-GM high-yielding Striga-resistant cowpeas (March 2009)Resource-poor cowpea farmers in sub-Saharan Africa have seen their profits jump by 55 per cent thanks to improved dual-purpose cowpea varieties developed and introduced by IITA and its national partners in Nigeria. Paul Amaza, IITA Agricultural Economist, says that farmers who use traditional varieties earn about US$ 251 per hectare, while those who are growing the improved cowpea are getting US$390, or US$139 more, per hectare with proper crop management.

Brazil to debut non-GM rust-resistant soy (May 2009)Brazil is set to begin commercial planting of a soybean variety with a gene that makes it resistant to the devastating Asian rust fungus, which is beginning to develop tolerance to conventional fungicides.

Ugandan scientists announce development of wilt resistant non-GE coffee varieties (April 2009)Twelve years ago, Coffee Research Centre (COREC) scientists embarked on developing a coffee variety resistant to the Coffee Wilt Disease (CWD), which attacks Robusta coffee. Today, they report a major breakthrough in the variety’s development. A total of 24 lines of Curtimors (dwarf coffee) are now under final field tests before they are released to farmers.

US researchers develop non-GM pest-resistant potato (March 2009)Despite their microscopic size, Columbia root-knot nematodes (CRN) have potential to inflict huge losses—about $40 million annually—by tunneling into potatoes to feed. But this level of loss isn’t likely to happen, thanks to fumigants growers now use—at a cost of $20 million annually.

Nigeria to roll out fungus-resistant non-GM soybean crops (August 2009)A variety of soybean resistant to a devastating Asian rust will soon be widely available in West and Central Africa. The rust, a fungal disease that entered Africa in 1996, can wipe out 80 per cent of infected crops.

African scientists announce non-GM breakthrough in battle against aflatoxin ( May 2009)Scientists of the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), Kenya, the United States Department for Agriculture (USDA) and International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, IITA, Nigeria, have developed a safe and natural method that could drastically cut aflatoxin contamination in African food crops by as much as 99 per cent.

Novel upland non-GM drought-tolerant rice variety released in Jharkhand, India (May 2009)A novel upland rice variety, Birsa Vikas Dhan 111 (PY 84), has recently been released in the Indian state of Jharkhand. It was bred using marker-assisted backcrossing with selection for multiple quantitative trait loci (QTL) for improved root growth to improve its performance under drought conditions. It is an early maturing, drought tolerant and high yielding variety with good grain quality suitable for the direct seeded uplands and transplanted medium lands of Eastern India.

ICRISAT develops climate change-ready varieties (June 2009)When the world gets warmer with climate change, the dryland tracts will become even drier, making it more difficult for the farmers to grow crops in this region. The improved crops developed by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (Icrisat) and partners are able to withstand severe droughts, tolerate higher temperatures and mature early, enabling the farmers to be ready to meet the challenges of climate change.

Conventional soybeans offer high yield at lower cost (September 2008)Conventional soybean varieties are making a comeback. Lower seed and weed-control costs, price incentives at the grain elevator and yields that rival Roundup Ready beans have renewed interest in conventional varieties, said Grover Shannon, an agronomist at the University of Missouri Delta Research Center in the Missouri Bootheel.

IITA (Nigeria) launches new non-GM striga-resistant maize varieties (December 2008)Maize farmers in West and Central Africa (WCA) could soon enjoy increased harvests and reduced crop losses due to Striga with the introduction of two new resistant varieties — TZLComp1Syn W-1 (Sammaz 16) and IWDC2SynF2 (Sammaz 15) — developed by IITA in partnership with the Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR), Zaria, Nigeria.

UK: Non-GM crop science gets GBP13m boost (January 2007)UK crop scientists have been awarded a GBP13.3m boost in funding to carry out research aimed at delivering benefits for farmers and consumers. Researchers say they will not be producing GM crops. Prof David Pink, from Warwick HRI, University of Warwick, whose team has been awarded GBP500,000 to identify genes in broccoli that will extend its shelf life and maintain its nutritional value for longer, said, "We are not going down that [GM] route because GM is not acceptable at the moment, and not acceptable to our plant breeding partner."

GM drought tolerant maize way behind non-GM (June 2007)During March 2007, the South African authorities gave Monsanto permission to conduct GM drought tolerant maize field trials in South Africa. The African Centre for Biosafety released a report on the issue, pointing out that drought tolerance is at least 8-10 years away from commercialisation. Nevertheless, GM drought tolerant crops are being used as PR tools by biotech lobbyists to promote acceptance of GM crops, expand existing markets and develop new markets. Finally, the report points out that traditional breeding, marker assisted selection, and building up organic content of the soil are proven methods of dealing with drought.

Indigenous rice better than GM for dealing with stress (October 2007)A New Delhi-based NGO, together with farmers from nine Indian states, has developed a register documenting over 2,000 indigenous rice varieties. They say GM rice strains are not only costly to cultivate but also are a poor match to the native strains in fighting pests, diseases and environmental fluctuations.

Body blow to grain borer (October 2007)The larger grain borer is taking a beating from CIMMYT (Internation Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre) breeders in Kenya as a new non-GM African maize withstands the onslaught of one of the most damaging pests.

Non-GM process for allergen-free peanuts (July 2007)n agricultural researcher at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University has developed a simple process to make allergen-free peanuts. The new process – believed to be a first for food science – could provide relief to millions of peanut allergy sufferers, and be an enormous boon to the entire peanut industry.

Non-GM virus-resistant cassava for East and Central Africa (June 2007)Efforts by the Crop Crisis Control Project (C3P) to mitigate the effects of cassava mosaic virus disease and banana xanthomonas wilt (BXW) in six countries of East and Central Africa are impacting positively on the lives of thousands of farmers in Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda.

Non-GM technology reduces aflatoxins in maize in Nigeria (July/August 2007)Scientists at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) have developed a safe and effective method for biological control of aflatoxins. These are toxic chemicals of fungal origin, which contaminate maize and other major food crops, posing a chronic threat to human health in sub-Saharan Africa.

Molecular marker research could feed the world without GM (October 2007)The work of a Kansas State University professor is challenging the assumption that genetically engineered plants are the great scientific and technological revolution in agriculture and the only efficient and cheap way to feed a growing population.

New non-GM drought-resistant corn (October 2007)For an ordinary farmer, only a miracle can make a corn plant survive for almost a month under an unusually intense heat and without a single drop of water. But a scientific breakthrough practically made that history after local farmers here witnessed for themselves how a new corn variety developed by a local biotechnology company was able to survive a drought for 29 straight days.

Dutch researcher bred non-GM fungi-resistant tomato (March 2007)Tomato growers are likely to soon be able to cultivate new tomato varieties without having to use pesticides against grey mould (Botrytis cinerea). This is the conclusion of the STW-sponsored thesis by Richard Finkers from Wageningen University, with which he hopes to earn his doctorate on 3 April 2007. Finkers designed highly efficient methods whereby tomato varieties can be resistant to grey mould. The leading company De Ruiter Seeds is already applying these methods in its breeding programme.

Texas-sized sorghum: New non-GM solution for fuel? (April 2007)Big Sorghum is moving up on Big Oil in Texas. Ten-foot tall stalks of bioenergy sorghum, planted on thousands of acres, could march across Texas just as oil derricks once did, replacing black gold with green gold.

Non-GM tomatoes made to drink less water (May 2007)Biofuels derived from plant cellulose - found in the tall sorghum among other biomass alternatives - offers an energy future that is at once sustainable, environmentally responsible, and just around the corner.

High-yielding, soybean cyst nematodes-resistant non-GM soybeans (July 2007) Soybean growers now have more options when selecting soybean varieties that have high yield potential and the ability to stave off soybean cyst nematodes. SCN, a tiny worm that infests the soil in many fields in Iowa and the rest of the Midwest, steals soybean yields.

2005

Zambia: better non-GM maize harvests (June 2005)Although drought-prone Zambia is still facing many problems, huge improvements have been reported in its maize harvests - its main staple crop. A report from Inter Press Service notes, "... production changed dramatically after President Levy Mwanawasa took over from Frederick Chiluba in 2001.... [He] promoted innovations like mixed farming and conservation farming. Mwanawasa rejected GM maize and encouraged the growing of non-GM maize, resulting in bumper harvests for the past three consecutive years." When the Zambian government rejected GM maize in 2002, there were calls from the US Ambassador to the FAO for its leaders to be tried "for the highest crimes against humanity in the highest courts of the world."